Written Answers Wednesday 23 June 2010

Scottish Executive

Birds

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33993 by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 June 2010, how the responses to its consultation on the contents of guidance on applications for licences to control birds of prey were taken into account and how many of each organisation’s suggested amendments to the guidance were accepted.

Roseanna Cunningham: The content of the guidance has been discussed in meetings and through written correspondence over a period of more than eight months. The drafting of the guidance seeks to combine and integrate comments from different stakeholders.

Birds

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33993 by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 June 2010, how each of the organisations listed was consulted and how often discussions were held with each.

Roseanna Cunningham: Meetings with representatives of the stakeholders listed in S3W-33993 were held on 26 October 2009 and 29 April 2010. Additionally, drafts of the guidance document Licensing The Control Of Predatory Birds To Protect Livestock (Game Birds) – Guidance for Applicants were circulated to these organisations for their comments on 17 February 2010, 8 April 2010, and 25 May 2010.

Cancer

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-34033, S3W-34039, S3W-34040, S3W-34041, S3W-34042 and S3W-34043 by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 June 2010, what the incidence of these cancer types is, broken down by the most localised geographical unit for which information can be provided.

Nicola Sturgeon: Data on the incidence of the cancers previously supplied at all Scotland and health board level for these parliamentary questions can be further broken down to the level of Community Health Partnership (CHP). The most recent calendar year for which complete numbers of registrations are available is 2007.

  This data is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. Number 51159).

Carers

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the planned new carers and young carers strategies will support the sustainability of carers organisations.

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will acknowledge the work of carers organisations and young carers projects and ensure the sustainability of the support that these organisations offer to unpaid carers.

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the new carers and young carers strategies will address the funding challenges faced by carers and young carers projects and organisations across the country.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how the new carers and young carers strategies will support the sustainability of carers organisations in light of the £7.6 billion contribution made by carers to the economy.

Shona Robison: Carers organisations include the national carer organisations (NCOs), carers centres, and young carer projects.

  The Scottish Government recognises and values the important role of the NCOs. Through section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, we have provided them with substantial core and project funding over a number of years. Decisions have yet to be made about public expenditure provision from 2011 onwards. Subject to the outcome of these decisions, we will consider continuing to support the NCOs in response to acceptable applications for section 10 funding.

  Local authorities and Community Planning Partnerships are responsible for delivering services which meet local needs, as expressed in the single outcome agreements. Funding for local projects, including carers centres and young carer projects, is therefore provided by local authorities. Funding is also provided by NHS boards at local level.

  The Scottish Government did, however, provide a grant to the Princess Royal Trust for Carers to help support young carer projects most at risk in 2010-11. It is a matter for the PRTC, with the Scottish Young Carers Alliance, to allocate those resources as appropriate.

Carers

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the disbandment of community health and care partnerships is likely to have on the provision of carer support in Glasgow.

Shona Robison: The view of both Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board and Glasgow City Council, stated publicly, is that the interests of patients and services, including carer support services, will continue to be paramount and protected during the transition out of Community Health and Care Partnerships. They would not expect the current level of service to be diminished in any way.

Carers

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will recognise the contribution of unpaid carers and young carers during Carers Week and beyond.

Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34323 on the 21 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Climate Change

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a report on emissions attributable to Scottish consumption of goods and services, as specified in section 37 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

Roseanna Cunningham: A decision on the timing and production of this report has yet to be agreed. Estimates of Scottish production emissions in 2010 - that is the emissions created within Scotland during 2010 - will first become available and formally reported during 2012. Determining the level of emissions attributable to the Scottish consumption of goods and services for 2010, and any future years, may only be completed subsequent to production emissions data becoming available.

Crime

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were admitted to hospital with injuries from (a) assault by a blunt object, (b) assault by a sharp object and (c) gun shots in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Nicola Sturgeon: The following table presents the number of children aged 0 to 16 years admitted to hospital as a result of an injury caused by assault by blunt object, assault by sharp object and gun shot.

  Number of hospital admissions1 as a result of assault by blunt object, assault by sharp object and firearm discharge; for children aged 0-16; for year of discharge ending 31 March 2009 and 2010:

  

Year of Discharge
Assault by Blunt Object
Assault by Sharp Object
Assault by Firearm Discharge
Accidental Firearm Discharge
Intentional Self Harm by Firearm Discharge
Firearm Discharge of Undetermined Intent


2008-09
27
76
*
5
-
-


2009-10P
22
62
-
13
*
*



  Source: ISD Scotland (SMR01).

  P2009-10 data is provisional.

  Notes:

  1. These statistics are derived from data collected on discharges from non-obstetric and non-psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) in Scotland.

  - zero value

  *Indicates values that have been suppressed due to the potential risk of disclosure and to help maintain patient confidentiality.

Drug Misuse

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children of drug addicted parents are being monitored by the authorities, broken down by local authority area.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and is a matter for individual local authorities.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in developing an electronic single shared assessment for patients and clients with drug and alcohol problems.

John Swinney: There are no plans for the Scottish Government to develop an electronic single shared assessment specifically for patients and clients with drug and alcohol problems.

  The Scottish Government has developed single shared assessment for all users of community care services based on an the National Minimum Information Standards (NMIS).

  Agencies can introduce other aspects into single shared assessments to meet local priorities and to inform performance management reporting. These can include specialist assessments for drug and alcohol services.

  Agencies had until March 2009 to implement NMIS in support of single shared assessment in paper form and are expected to share information electronically within six months of the systems being put in place to do so.

Eating Disorders

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women aged (i) 10 to 16, (ii) 17 to 23 and (iii) 24 to 30 have had a medical consultation for an eating disorder since 2007.

Shona Robison: The following table shows the estimated numbers of women in the specified age ranges who consulted either a GP or practice-employed nurse in Scotland for an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and other psychological eating disorders) during 2007-08 and 2008-09.

  Estimates are based on data from a small sample of general practices in Scotland that participate in the Practice Team Information (PTI) scheme. The patients registered to PTI practices are representative of Scotland as a whole in terms of their age, gender and deprivation profile. Precise estimates are difficult to generate for small age groups and/or for conditions where patients consult relatively rarely. Confidence intervals, introduced from 31 March 2009, are shown to indicate the degree of precision of these estimates.

  Because the method for estimating numbers of consultations has been revised since a similar question was answered last year (S3W-21249 on 18 March 2009), the table also includes revised estimates for the years 2003-04 to 2006-07. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

  Figures are not shown for men as robust estimates could not be calculated. Relatively few PTI practices in recent years have recorded any eating disorders consultations for men aged 10-30 and in those that do the total number of consultations recorded is very small.

  Female patients in Scotland consulting a GP or practice-employed nurse for an eating disorder at least once in the year (Estimated numbers1, with 95% confidence intervals2):

  

Financial Year
 
10-16 Years
17-23 Years
24-30 Years
10-30 Years


2003-04
Number
187
691
515
1,399


Confidence Interval
(100-273)
(455-927)
(351-679)
(1,033-1,765)


2004-05
Number
148
741
413
1,316


Confidence Interval
(33-263)
(493-989)
(201-625)
(952-1,679)


2005-06
Number
228
840
443
1,526


Confidence Interval
(139-317)
(578-1,102)
(229-657)
(1,125-1,926)


2006-07
Number
286
434
516
1,206


Confidence Interval
(150-422)
(253-615)
(319-712)
(907-1,505)


2007-08
Number
212
593
473
1,279


Confidence Interval
(86-337)
(386-800)
(262-683)
(948-1,610)


2008-09
Number
222
759
450
1,447


Confidence Interval
(115-329)
(516-1,002)
(220-681)
(1,049-1,845)



  Notes:

  1. Based on data from 59, 53, 51, 49, 48 and 58 PTI practices that submitted complete GP and practice nurse data for the years ending 31 March 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively.

  2. As the estimates are based on data from a sample of practices, 95% confidence intervals are included to indicate the relative degree of certainty of these estimates.

Fertility Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the interim report from the Infertility Network Scotland on IVF services.

Shona Robison: Infertility Network Scotland’s interim report has been received and will be published shortly on the Maternity Services website  www.maternityservices.scot.nhs.uk .

Fertility Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the interim report from Infertility Network Scotland on IVF services.

Shona Robison: Infertility Network Scotland’s interim report will be published shortly on the Maternity Services website www.maternityservices.scot.nhs.uk .

Fertility Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that consistent criteria are applied to IVF treatment across Scotland.

Shona Robison: The National Infertility Group will look at standardisation of access criteria across Scotland, and make recommendations to ministers.

Fertility Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34074 by Shona Robison on 15 June 2010, when the National Group on Infertility was first announced and how many times it has met.

Shona Robison: The intention to set up the National Infertility Group was first announced during 2009. Scottish Government officials have been in discussion with NHS boards regarding the role of the group and membership. The group met for the first time on 28 April 2010, and further meetings are scheduled for July, September and November 2010.

Fertility Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition is of one cycle of IVF treatment.

Shona Robison: As NHS boards across Scotland currently define one cycle of IVF treatment in several different ways, the National Infertility Group has been asked to consider and make recommendations to ministers.

Fisheries

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects Scottish farmed (a) salmon, (b) whitefish and (c) shellfish production to increase in each of the next three years and, if so, by what amount and based on what evidence.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government does not make predictions for production figures for these sectors, however, each of the relevant producer organisations is optimistic about the immediate prospects for growth.

Health

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all sick children and young people in Scotland are treated in line with the European Association for Children in Hospital (EACH) Charter.

Shona Robison: NHS boards in Scotland take account of the European Association for Children in Hospital (EACH) Charter when delivering healthcare. The Healthcare Quality Strategy launched by the Scottish Government in May 2010 has the same aims and ambitions as the EACH Charter.

Health

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the National Appeal Panel for Entry to the Pharmaceutical List need not give a detailed explanation as to why it considers that an NHS board decision requires an oral hearing.

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason objections to NHS board pharmacy decisions do not require new evidence in order for the National Appeal Panel for Entry to the Pharmaceutical List to consider that an oral hearing of the decision is required.

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the National Appeal Panel for Entry to the Pharmaceutical List can overturn NHS board pharmacy decisions without new evidence being submitted by objectors.

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the National Appeal Panel for Entry to the Pharmaceutical List would reconsider the decision of an NHS board pharmacy practices committee when the only objectors to the decision are other pharmacy contractors and in the absence of new evidence.

Shona Robison: Under the terms of the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009, Schedule 4 Part II, the National Appeal Panel "shall determine an appeal in such a manner as it sees fit". Therefore, the member may wish to contact the National Appeal Panel directly to seek views on this matter at the following address:

  The National Appeal Panel for Entry to the Pharmaceutical List

  Scottish Health Service Centre

  Crewe Road South

  Edinburgh

  EH4 2LF

  The procedures of the National Appeal Panel are overseen by the Scottish Committee of the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council. The AJTC keeps under review the administrative justice system as a whole with a view to making it accessible, fair and efficient.

  The Scottish Government has recently completed a consultation exercise considering issues in relation to the process by which applications to join the pharmaceutical list are considered. We would be happy to consider this aspect as part of that process.

Health

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the number of NHS board decisions that are overturned on appeal, whether it considers that NHS boards are able to make correct decisions about pharmacy applications.

Shona Robison: Under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 NHS boards have a statutory duty to ensure the provision of pharmaceutical services. In doing so, they have the statutory role in determining applications made to them for entry to the pharmaceutical list. The 1978 act provides that there must be rights of appeal against the decisions of health boards on these applications. The NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 set out the procedures for such appeals to be determined by the National Appeal Panel.

  The Scottish Government has recently completed a consultation exercise considering issues in relation to the process by which applications to join the pharmaceutical list are considered. As part of this, we sought comments on the need for guidance and/ or training of those involved in the process. We will now consider whether any amendments or further activity is necessary in light of the views offered.

Health

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been diagnosed with Leber’s disease in the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally.

  The Scottish Government is aware of a study in the North East of England in 2002 which found the incidence of Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) to be around 3 per 100,000.

Health

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what treatment is offered by the NHS for people diagnosed with Leber’s disease.

Shona Robison: Diagnosis of Leber’s disease is made using the following methods: taking a history; identifying signs and symptoms; blood and urine tests; testing visual acuity and visual fields; electrophysiology studies, and fluorescein angiography. A CT or MRI scan is also undertaken to exclude other inflammatory and structural causes of acute optic neuritis, particularly if there is no family history.

  No prevention or treatment is available for Leber’s disease at present. Several drugs and interventions are being tested, such as Brimonidine, near-infrared light treatment, Vitamin B12, and viral vector techniques. Gene therapy and stem cell therapy may help with management of the condition in the future.

  Genetic counselling and referral to appropriate agencies for supportive advice regarding life circumstances and lifestyle may also be offered.

Health

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are receiving treatment from the NHS for Leber’s disease.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally.

Information Technology

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a policy for it or its agencies to use data centres sited in the Highlands and Islands and, if so, what the policy is.

John Swinney: Work is presently underway to develop an overarching ICT Strategy for the Scottish public sector, which sets out high-level aims aligned to our purpose and strategic priorities. Any specific policy on public sector data centres will be informed by an intended data centre survey and aligned to the overarching strategy.

International Year of Cooperatives 2012

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to participate in the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2012.

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise will have a role in delivering activity during the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2012.

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether VisitScotland will have a role in delivering activity during the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2012.

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which minister will be responsible for the delivery of activity during the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2012.

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will deliver activities in schools to mark the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2012.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government recognises the benefits co-operatives can bring to the economy and our social well-being and supports the activities of Co-operative Development Scotland in promoting the co-operative model and helping new and existing co-operatives to grow.

  No plans have been made and no decision has been taken on whether we will directly participate in the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives 2012.

Maternity Services

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements exist for monitoring the prevalence of obesity among pregnant women.

Shona Robison: Information on a woman’s height and weight at Booking will shortly be mandatory categories in a woman’s Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR02).

  NHS Quality Improvement Scotland’s Best Practice Statement on Maternal History Taking, which was published in August 2008, sets what information should be included as part of the Scottish Woman Held Maternity Record (SWHMR). This includes comprehensive information about a pregnant women’s personal physical health history in order to identify significant risks which may require referral to an obstetrician or other specialist service, including risk factors such as a body mass index (BMI) of over 35.

  Preventing Overweight and Obesity in Scotland: A Route Map Towards Healthy Weight (published February 2010) sets out both national and local governments’ respective long-term commitment to tackling overweight and obesity, to help achieve a healthier Scotland and contribute towards sustainable economic growth. The Route Map acknowledges that the rise in the number of women who are obese during pregnancy is a cause for concern due to the risks that obesity poses to the health of both the mother and infant, as well as its influence on long-term adult health. There are a number of actions within the Route Map aimed at supporting pregnant women and new mothers to develop healthy lifestyle behaviours.

Maternity Services

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the prevalence in Scotland is of miscarriages arising from Hughes syndrome.

Shona Robison: This is a rare cause of miscarriage and adverse pregnancy outcome, and for this reason, information is not collected or held centrally.

Maternity Services

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the availability is of the two blood tests taken six to eight weeks apart to confirm whether a woman who has had one or more miscarriages has Hughes syndrome.

Shona Robison: The blood tests for Hughes syndrome or antiphospholipid syndrome, are available in all NHS boards, and should be taken 12 weeks apart.

Maternity Services

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether women are tested for Hughes syndrome only after a third miscarriage and, if so, for what reason the test cannot be offered to all women who have miscarried.

Shona Robison: For all intra-uterine fetal deaths or stillbirths this is a standard test in all maternity units and hospitals. Specialists will offer this test to all women with recurrent early miscarriage as set out in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ guideline, and would recommend it was offered in cases of fetal loss of greater than 10 weeks gestation. http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/uploaded-files/GT17RecurrentMiscarriage2003.pdf .

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what professional and other workers are defined as health professionals for the purpose of determining access to electronic patient records.

Nicola Sturgeon: A health professional means a doctor of medicine, nurse, dental practitioner, midwife, pharmacist or another professional as described in Section 69 of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what staff, other than health professionals, will routinely have access to electronic patient records and in what context.

Nicola Sturgeon: Within NHSScotland dedicated Health Records and Medical Secretarial staff support the delivery of direct clinical care by the initiation, retrieval and maintenance of patients medical records both manual and electronic.

  These administrative staff support the progression of the patient throughout their pathway from initial referral by ensuring that all relevant clinical information is assembled and kept up to date within the medical record, through generation of clinical correspondence, indexing and filing of clinical documents and reports. This ensures that a comprehensive medical history is available at the time of clinical intervention.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what security has been put in place to ensure that aggregated waiting list data has a functionality to ensure (a) patient consent and (b) proactive rather than retrospective security on access to data by NHS administrators not involved in the clinical care of the patients.

Nicola Sturgeon: Aggregated waiting list data do not contain patient identifiable data and may be processed lawfully without patient consent.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what reporting systems it has or will put in place for recording and central reporting to itself and the Information Commissioner of cases of inappropriate access to electronic patient data.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not centrally hold information on the number of unauthorised access to electronic patient data. It is the responsibility of individual NHS boards to record, report and investigate in line with their own local policies and procedures.

  The Scottish Government encourages NHS boards to bring serious data breaches including serious unauthorised accesses to the Health Department and the ICO simultaneously.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what policy changes it has made following the clarification of human rights law regarding medical privacy by the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of I v Finland.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government expect NHS Scotland systems and processes to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Human Rights Act 1998 and any other relevant law. The European Court of Human Rights case predated the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and the Data Protection Act (1998) which set out the principles that organisations must comply with in the handling of personal data. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, NHSS organisations must be able to demonstrate that appropriate technical, managerial and organisational steps are in place. NHS boards therefore adopt a risk based approach to determine what measures are appropriate taking into account the state of technology at the time, the cost of implementing such measures and the nature of the data to be processed and the harm that might result from, for instance, unauthorised access. Issues of access control and audit of access will be important considerations as new systems promoting the sharing of information in the interests of safe effective and efficient provision of care are developed.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a computerised administrative register in the NHS in which sensitive information such as (a) contraceptive data, (b) compulsory mental health measures, (c) GUM clinic information and (d) termination of pregnancies exists, which is not anonymized or anonymized by full post code, part post code, age or gender.

Nicola Sturgeon: (a) Contraceptive data is recorded and collected at individual health board level on the various clinical systems and may contain personal identifiable information.

  (b) Compulsory detention under Mental Health Scotland Act: All compulsory detentions are notified by the NHS board to the Mental Welfare Commission, Edinburgh. Notification includes patient demographic data, date and type of section etc. Mental Welfare Commission have an Information Management Portal which is used to maintain individual service user records (containing full patient demographic data). If the patient is detained under the Mental Health Scotland Act this is recorded against the service user record and the notification form received from the individual NHS board is scanned and uploaded in to the service user record.

  (c) GUM clinic information: Client data is held in NASH (National Sexual Health System). This includes patient demographic data as well as administrative and clinical data.

  (d) Termination of pregnancies notified to Chief Medical Officer under provisions of Abortion Act 1967: Notification includes patient demographic information. ISD anonymise data for statistical presentation.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it regards as an appropriate level of anonymization of patient electronic records for the purpose of audit and research.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Confidentiality and Security Advisory Group (CSAGS) report published in 2003, defined "Acceptably anonymised data" as "data from which in practice the patient cannot be identified by the recipient of the information, and where the theoretical probability of the patient’s identity being discovered is extremely small."

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the purchase of TrakCare has replaced the attempts to introduce a separately designed Scottish solution in the remaining eight NHS boards.

Nicola Sturgeon: There are no plans to introduce a separately designed Scottish solution. The consortium procurement to deliver a PMS solution that is available to all boards was set out in the eHealth Strategy in 2008. Boards beyond those in the consortium will consider whether to move to the PMS solution based on individual business cases and taking into account their existing products and contractual commitments.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the £44 million TrakCare contract will cover in NHS (a) Ayrshire and Arran, (b) Borders, (c) Grampian, (d) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (e) Lanarkshire and whether the cost of TrakCare in Lothian will also be covered.

Nicola Sturgeon: This covers individual licence costs, and deployment and support charges for the five participant boards for a 10 year period. The costs for TrakCare in Lothian Health Board are not included.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS 24 will have access to TrakCare.

Nicola Sturgeon: The national licence for a Patient Management System allows any NHS Scotland organisation to acquire a licence and deploy appropriate parts of the product on payment of agreed support charges. NHS24 currently does not have plans to use TrakCare.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost is for TrakCare for each of the six NHS boards involved and what the predicted annual costs will be if all NHS boards sign up.

Nicola Sturgeon: The 10 year cost to each board is outlined in the following table. The annual cost has not been presented as there are annual fluctuations depending on local implementation and choice of specific modules. The annual cost if all Scottish NHS boards sign up cannot be accurately predicted as it is dependent on the options under the contract that boards might choose, which will vary according to their local needs at the time. This is reflected in the Lothian figures which are proportionally higher as they have chosen a fully managed service and their service cover community as well as acute sectors.

  

NHS Board
Licence
Deployment
10 Year Support
Total by Board


Ayrshire and Arran
1.47
1.01
2.88
5.36


Borders
0.65
0.64
1.37
2.66


Grampian
2.31
1.01
4.36
7.68


Greater Glasgow and Clyde 
6.31
4.11
11.47
21.89


Lanarkshire 
2.07
1.01
4.28
7.36


Sub Total 5 Boards
12.81
7.78
24.36
44.95


Lothian
3.8
 
15
 


Total
16.61
7.78
39.36
63.75

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements in security are being delivered in the patient management system referred to in the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on 29 March 2010.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Patient Management System will deliver improvements in the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information held by integrating previously disjointed processes and reducing the reliance on paper-based records and manual activities. The system will introduce standard methods for recording and processing patient information that will make it more easily accessible and retrievable electronically, when and where required, but only by authenticated and authorised persons. Electronic access controls and audit trails will introduce levels of information assurance that are not feasible in paper-based systems. Electronic capture will improve the consistency of health records, and electronic data can be backed-up to provide additional resilience.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what threat model it has used in establishing security policy in the emergency care record system and the new computer records systems, in particular the TrakCare patient management system.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Scotland uses information security risk analysis and management methods to identify and mitigate risks. The NHS Scotland Security Policy states that boards will undertake a survey of their information systems and data, and make an assessment of the likely security risks, including an evaluation of the likely impact and occurrence of any threats. Boards then introduce measures to mitigate these risks. This approach was taken in the evaluation of the Emergency Care Summary record and will be used as TrakCare is deployed in boards.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new TrakCare patient management system announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on 29 March 2010 will have servers in GP practices or local hospitals or hubs distant from the point of required access to the record.

Nicola Sturgeon: TrakCare is a client/server system and therefore, in general, the servers will be located in a secure server room at some distance from the required access to the record. In boards the servers will normally be at a hospital site, but a third-party data centre could also be selected. These are choices for the boards to make. There should be no need for TrakCare servers in GP practices.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the NHS boards signed up to TrakCare patient management system have the records aggregated at one site.

Nicola Sturgeon: At the current time only one board has this situation prior to implementing TrakCare.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what access control mechanisms will be used to ensure that patients can restrict access to sensitive data to the clinicians involved directly in their care.

Nicola Sturgeon: Patients can object to their sensitive information being shared within the healthcare team, irrespective of the means by which this happens. Health professionals must respect these wishes, unless the disclosure would be justified in the public interest or by the law. We have no plans to provide patients with the electronic means to directly limit access to their sensitive data.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances the police will have access to patient electronic data and files.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Data Protection Act 1998, permits uses or disclosures of personal data for the purpose of the prevention or detection of crime or the prosecution or apprehension of offenders. NHS boards have mechanisms in place to respond to appropriate information requests from the police.

  The Scottish Government published, CEL (2008)13 Information Sharing between the NHSS and the Police. This letter enclosed guidance, developed with the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland, setting out how NHS boards and police forces should work together to develop a consistent approach to the sharing of information to promote the prevention and detection of crime, while respecting and safeguarding the interests of patients and the public in the confidentiality of personal health information.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that access to electronic patient records is not interrupted for any reason.

Nicola Sturgeon: The NHS Scotland Security Policy states that boards will undertake a survey of their information systems and data and make an assessment of the likely security risks, including an evaluation of the likely impact and occurrence of any threats that may disrupt services. Boards then introduce measures to mitigate these risks. These include, but are not limited to, processes such as virus checking, regular patching of operating systems software and the provision of back-up systems.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has put in place to ensure that NHS staff who could access patient data (a) do not do so without appropriate authorisation and (b) will be in a current clinical relationship with the patient and access data for a time-limited period.

Nicola Sturgeon: Access to all patient identifiable information including health records is on a strict need to know basis in accordance with the Caldicott principles, Data Protection Act 1998, NHS Scotland Information Governance Standards and various codes of professional conduct.

  In July 2006, the Scottish Government issued, NHS HDL: (2006) 41 NHSScotland information security policy. It set out Information Security Policy Principles covering authority, accountability, assurance and awareness and makes clear to NHSS staff aware of the limits of their authority and the levels of their accountability for their actions.

  In accordance with these principles, NHS boards define policies and procedures to audit the access to patient identifiable information.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive by what (a) date and (b) mechanism each of the systems in Scotland will comply with the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of I v Finland by ensuring that patients can, if they wish, prevent their personal health information being accessible by anyone other than the clinicians directly involved in their care.

Nicola Sturgeon: Currently, patients can restrict their personal health information being accessible by anyone other than the clinicians directly involved in their care, irrespective of the means by which this is done. Health professionals must respect these wishes, unless the disclosure would be justified in the public interest or by the law.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-8345 by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 November 2010 ( Official Report c. 20942), whether it is now in a position to report how many simultaneous users of the clinical portal are required by the individual NHS board systems and what the maximum delay will be to access an electronic record when the systems are operating at maximum capacity.

Nicola Sturgeon: Clinical portal is not a single system but a range of joined up products and services that will provide clinicians with a single route to access priority information. NHS boards are currently working in regional consortia to determine how best to deliver clinical portal based on their different starting points and technical environments. Key considerations will be the availability of priority information held electronically within national or local NHS board clinical systems, and the technical infrastructure on which clinical portal will be deployed. Detailed design of the portal, including the level of performance which is acceptable to clinicians for front-line use, will be determined by boards. Clinical portal responsiveness is likely to be impacted more by the wider technical environment and the number of different clinical information sources than by the number of simultaneous clinical portal users. The incremental approach adopted to delivery of clinical portal will enable the portal to grow and develop at a pace that is in step with the clinical usage.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23303 by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 May 2009, whether it will provide an answer that addresses data formats as opposed to network protocols.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish eHealth Programme recommends a standards-based approach when choosing or developing ICT systems, with a preference for open standards to ensure the maximum level of interoperability. The eHealth N3 network allows for standard data formats to be communicated between applications, and a good example of this is the SCI Gateway application that enables the secure transfer of documents between primary and secondary care using SIGN standards and national XML definitions. Indeed, SCI Gateway has now been deployed in Wales.

  The eHealth standards library, published on the eHealth website, lists standards statements that have either been approved or are in progress.

  A further notable development in this area is that, as part of the national procurement for a Patient Management System (TrakCare), a contract has been signed for an integration product called Ensemble (which lies at the heart of TrakCare). This will enable interoperability between applications within and across boards, and relies on the definition and adoption of standard data formats, many of which are open and international.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-23301 and S3W-23568 by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 and 14 May 2009 respectively, what the timetable is for roll out of clinical portals to all NHS boards.

Nicola Sturgeon: A working prototype of clinical portal is currently under development within a consortium of South and East NHS boards led by NHS Lothian. North and West NHS board consortia are currently defining and assessing their delivery options. The incremental approach advocated in the eHealth Strategy is part of our design. The current phase of portal work is intended to give us much clearer indications of the benefits of different approaches, how much they will cost and how long they will take. We want this information to be available before we invite boards to commit to a particular route for delivering portal benefits. The three regional consortia, encompassing all territorial boards, are due to report in late summer 2010. The Clinical Portal Programme Board will then be in a position to consider issues of timing and affordability of clinical portal deployment.

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23568 by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 May 2009, what it defines as the minimum data set for electronic health records in a clinical portal system.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Clinical Change Leadership Group conducted a wide survey of clinicians in 2009, receiving well over 3,000 responses from all parts of the service. There was a high degree of consensus around the information clinical staff considered to be of most importance. The Clinical Portal Programme Board accepted the recommendation of CCLG and the eHealth Leads Group that the following information content should be prioritised for Phase 1 Clinical Portal:

  

Category
Information


Patient Health Summary 
Past medical history Current problem list Current medications Allergies Alerts 


Clinical Letters 
Referral Hospital discharge Outpatient clinic


Diagnostic Tests Results 
Laboratory results Radiology results and images Other diagnostic text results


Knowledge Support 
Local clinical guidelines National clinical guidelines eBNF

Medical Records

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Dr Brian Robson’s comments at the Institute of Healthcare Management Scotland Conference in October 2007 that in England 15% of hospitalisations are complicated by medication errors, one in seven hospital admissions occurs because care providers do not have access to previous hospital records and 20% of laboratory tests are requested because the results of previous investigations are not accessible, whether there are corresponding figures for Scotland and, if so, what these are.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the volume of incidents relating to the accessibility of hospital records or laboratory test results is not collected centrally.

  Hospital discharge records, which are collected centrally, are coded with diagnostic information relating to the patient’s stay. Although medication errors may be identifiable in certain circumstances, the data would not fairly and accurately reflect the true prevalence of such errors or give an indication of harm to patients.

  Patient safety is a key priority for the Scottish Government. It is vital for patients to have confidence that when they access any part of the healthcare system, they will receive the best available treatment without fear of harm. The Scottish Patient Safety Programme is being implemented in every NHS board and is designed to improve the safety of care.

  NHS boards are responsible for ensuring the quality, safety and effectiveness of the services they provide. Appropriate governance arrangements are in place and these arrangements are the subject of review by a number of external bodies and agencies. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) has commenced a review of all NHS boards in Scotland with regard to performance against NHS QIS Clinical Governance and Risk Management Standards.

Mental Health

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions for antidepressants were dispensed in 2009, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of items dispensed by prescribing NHS boards for antidepressants, for calendar year 2009:

  

Prescribing NHS Board
Number of Items


NHS Scotland
 4,209,645 


NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 327,901


NHS Borders
 99,935 


NHS Dumfries and Galloway
 137,230 


NHS Fife
 275,067 


NHS Forth Valley
 238,662 


NHS Grampian
 353,676 


NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 1,145,381 


NHS Highland
 235,135 


NHS Lanarkshire
 507,732 


NHS Lothian
 521,944 


NHS Orkney
 12,971 


NHS Shetland
 16,251 


NHS Tayside
 314,741 


NHS Western Isles
 23,019 



  Source: Prescribing Information System, ISD Scotland, IR2010-01543.

  It should be noted that prescribing rates can be influenced not only by prevalence and detection rates of depression, but also prescribing practice around the dosage and duration of the prescription – for example the same people might be staying on antidepressants for longer periods, or they may be receiving a higher dose.

  We will ensure those who need antidepressants will continue to receive them in accordance with clinical guidelines, while investing in alternatives that increase choice for clinicians and service users through improved access to evidence based interventions such as psychological therapies.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the family-friendly policies for NHS employees are and how they are monitored.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Family Friendly Policies for NHS Scotland employees are covered in the Supporting Work Life Balance Partnership Information Network (PIN) Policy. This policy can be found at http://www.staffgovernance.scot.nhs.uk/partnership/partnership-information-network/ .

  This policy framework covers job share policy, career break policy, reduced working year policy, flexible working policy, annualised hours policy, home working policy, phased retiral policy, maternity leave, paternity leave, breastfeeding policy, parental leave policy and adoption and fostering leave policy.

  These policies support staff to balance home life with the demands of work by encouraging both the service and its staff to adopt flexible working practices. The ability to work flexibly opens up career opportunities to a greater range of individuals, which in turn leads to development of equality of opportunity.

  These policies support the Staff Governance Standard, and their implementation within each health board is monitored through the Staff Governance Self-Assessment Audit Tool, which is completed at a local level by the Area Partnership Forum and Staff Governance Committee, and is then used by the Scottish Government to inform discussions during the annual review process.

NHS Staff

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of NHS boards terminating employee contracts in order to reduce staff numbers.

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff who will have their contracts terminated as a result of the projected reduction in the NHS workforce are not eligible for a redundancy payment.

Nicola Sturgeon: While boards receive more funding than ever before, it is right for them to look critically at service delivery to ensure efficiency and best value for taxpayers money, and to consider how services should be staffed as patterns of care change for the good (e.g. more day care; more community based care; shorter hospital stays).

  All boards have confirmed that they would expect to manage the bulk of any workforce reductions through normal turnover and that there will be no compulsory redundancies.

  There are of course a number of situations where staff will have their contract terminated, and not receive redundancy pay, as part of normal management practice by NHS boards. These situations will include staff coming to the end of their fixed term contract, staff who have been subject to disciplinary proceedings or staff who have volunteered to leave the organisation.

NHS Staff

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the projected staff reduction by NHS Highland of 108 jobs, which includes 30 nurses, nursing support staff and midwives, 58 administration workers and 14 administrative support staff, will have a detrimental effect on patient care.

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a review to establish how decisions are taken when staff numbers are reduced in an NHS board area; what impact this will have on patient care; when these decisions are taken outwith the partnership arrangements, and how many staff have or will be involved.

Nicola Sturgeon: The National Scrutiny Group, as announced on 3 June 2010, will subject board workforce plans to ongoing scrutiny to ensure that they do not impact adversely on the quality of patient care. This group will liaise closely with local Area Partnership Forums and raise any issues of concern with the Scottish Partnership Forum and directly with me.

NHS Staff

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff in NHS (a) Highland, (b) Grampian, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Western Isles will have or have had their contracts terminated in order to reduce staff numbers in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09; (iii) 2009-10 and (iv) beyond 2010.

Nicola Sturgeon: While boards receive more funding than ever before, it is right for them to look critically at service delivery to ensure efficiency and best value for taxpayers money, and to consider how services should be staffed as patterns of care change for the good (e.g. more day care; more community based care; shorter hospital stays).

  All boards have confirmed that they would expect to manage the bulk of any workforce reductions through normal turnover and that there will be no compulsory redundancies.

  There are of course a number of situations where staff will have their contract terminated, and not receive redundancy pay, as part of normal management practice by NHS boards. These situations will include staff coming to the end of their fixed term contract, staff who have been subject to disciplinary proceedings or staff who have volunteered to leave the organisation.

NHS Staff

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, of the projected 108 job losses within NHS Highland, how many staff will be redeployed to alternative posts.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not available centrally.

NHS Staff

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many short-term contracts are not being renewed in NHS (a) Highland, (b) Grampian, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Western Isles and whether this includes (i) doctors, (ii) nurses, (iii) nursing support staff, (iv) midwives, (v) administration workers, (vi) administration support staff and (vii) other employees.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not centrally available.

National Parks

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on establishing a national parks strategy group chaired by the Minister for Environment.

Roseanna Cunningham: I have decided to defer any decision on setting up the group until after the next spending review.

Oil and Gas Industry

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in response to skills shortages identified in the North Sea oil and gas industry.

Keith Brown: Scottish Funding Council have invested £250,000 to allow Robert Gordon University to conduct research into the future skills requirements of the oil and gas sector. This will feed into the energy industry advisory board.

  Initial findings have just been announced and compare very closely with the key industry skills priorities. In order to address these challenges OPITO (The Oil and Gas Academy) are working with Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland, colleges and universities on solutions and support.

  A good example of an important contribution colleges make to the direct delivery of the skills required by the oil and gas sector and to encouraging interest in those skills by young people, is the "Schlumberger Schools Engineering Challenge" run jointly by Banff and Buchan College and the oilfield services company Schlumberger.

Planning

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a decision on the application for a new coal-fired plant at Hunterston prior to the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections.

Jim Mather: The Ayrshire Power application for a Multi-Fuel Power Station at Hunterston was received on 2 June 2010. The application is currently with consultees, including North Ayrshire Council as the relevant planning authority, as per the normal process. The consultation is due to end on 1 October, after which Scottish ministers will carefully consider consultees’ responses alongside all representations in line with statutory requirements. The determination of applications for such large energy projects is a complex undertaking which spans many and varied issues, and as such it is not possible to commit to an exact timeline, nevertheless Scottish ministers will deal with the application as promptly as is practically possible.

School Transport

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many miles it expects primary school children to walk to school before being offered transport.

Keith Brown: Authorities have a duty under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to make such arrangements as they consider necessary for the transport between home and school of pupils residing, and attending schools, in their area. In considering whether to make arrangements, authorities are required to have regard to the safety of the pupil.

  The statutory provisions on school transport prescribe neither distances beyond which authorities must, nor distances below which they must not, provide transport. It is, however, for authorities themselves to determine criteria for eligibility for free school transport.

Scottish Futures Trust

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the Scottish Futures Trust is not covered by the guidelines on the use of consultancy outlined by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in December 2008.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33581 on 21 May 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Scottish Futures Trust

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to include the Scottish Futures Trust in the guidelines on the use of consultancy outlined by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in December 2008.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government has no plans to include the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) in the guidelines on the use of consultancy. The SFT Management Statement and Financial Memorandum specifies the general principles that SFT is required to adhere to in any expenditure, including the procurement of external advice.

Scottish Futures Trust

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34105 by Alex Neil on 14 June 2010, what guidance it has issued to the Scottish Futures Trust in respect of its use of consultants for the National Housing Trust initiative and whether it has set a limit of spend per contract.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Futures Trust’s (SFT’s) policies in using consultants or other external advisors for the National Housing Trust (NHT) initiative are the same as for all other SFT projects. SFT’s Management Statement and Financial Memorandum specifies the general principles that the SFT must adhere to in any expenditure. This includes the overarching requirement that procurement is based on value for money, as well as, if applicable, compliance with any relevant EU or other international procurement rules.

Scottish Futures Trust

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has asked the Scottish Futures Trust for its estimated spend on consultants for the National Housing Trust initiative in 2010-11 and, if so, whether it will make the answer public.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Futures Trust’s (SFT’s) Business Plan (published on the SFT website at http://www.scottishfuturestrust.org.uk ) includes a budget allocation of £750,000 in 2010-11 for the SFT’s housing related work. This budget is being used, amongst other things, to fund the SFT’s work on the National Housing Trust (NHT) initiative and includes SFT’s forecast overheads and the need for any specialist advice which cannot be internally resourced. It is for the SFT to determine the most appropriate use of these resources taking account of its Management Statement and Financial Memorandum.

Sport

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many skilled sports coaches have been employed in each local authority in each year since 1999.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many sports coaches are employed across Scotland.

Shona Robison: This information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Coaches, whether paid or voluntary, are employed by a range of organisations such as local authorities, sports governing bodies and private clubs.

  In partnership with Skills Active and Skills Development work we have recently concluded a short study into the workforce and skills required to support our legacy ambitions for increasing participation in physical activity and sport. The strategic priorities of the Legacy Skills Plan are to develop leadership and management skills, support new entrants to the paid and voluntary sector, make more effective use of paid and voluntary workforce and address skills deficiencies and gaps.

  This work together with the ongoing revision of Coaching Scotland should provide us with a clearer picture of the current coaching workforce and identify future needs to support specific target groups such as elderly people.

Sport

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many voluntary sports coaches there are, broken down by local authority area.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34363 on 23 June 2010.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Substance Misuse

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how the new Scottish Drug Recovery Consortium will work with carers centres and organisations to ensure that unpaid carers and young carers get the support that they need to have a life of their own and maintain their own health and wellbeing.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how the new Scottish Drug Recovery Consortium will support carers, young carers and families who support people with alcohol and drug misuse problems.

Shona Robison: The new Scottish Drugs Recovery Consortium (SDRC) includes a number of members who work with families and children affected by substance misuse. One of these members is the Princess Royal Trust East Ayrshire Carers Centre. The members working together, with their considerable knowledge and experience of problem drug use in families, will have much to contribute in support to carers and young carers of people with substance misuse problems. This can be facilitated through the network of carers centres and with a range of organisations, working in partnership with the Alcohol and Drug Partnerships.

Substance Misuse

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how the new strategies for carers and young carers will provide timely and effective support for carers of people who are misusing alcohol and other substances.

Shona Robison: One of the main concerns of all carers, irrespective of their caring situation, is the provision of timely, effective and personalised support to help sustain them in their caring role. The draft Carers and Young Carers Strategy for Scotland, to be agreed with our strategic partner, COSLA, is likely to set out a range of actions relating to different types of support. For those carers of people with substance misuse problems, there is likely to be a role for alcohol and drugs partnerships in providing support.